My firm conviction is that, independent of the mental anguish it occasions - an anguish so acute and so tremendous, that all imagination of it must fall far short of the reality - it wears the mind into a morbid state, which renders it unfit for the rough contact and busy action of the world.

But a doctor has agreed to carry out the mercy killings on the grounds that their mental anguish constitutes the unbearable suffering needed to legally justify euthanasia, which has been legal in Belgium since 2002.

The suit describes the 'post-game ritual' of trainers handing out painkillers and sleeping aids 'to be washed down by beer', and the players are seeking financial compensation for chronic injuries, financial losses, pain, suffering and mental anguish, according to the suit.

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